Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer best known as a creator of broad film farces and comedy parodies, or as he says, "spoofs."

Biography

---

Early life

Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish parents Maximillian Kaminsky and Kate Brookman, Brooks graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School before serving in the US Army during World War II as an engineer, stationed in North Africa.

Career

He started out in show business as a stand-up comic before becoming a comedy writer for television, working on Your Show of Shows. In 1961, with Carl Reiner, he created the persona of the 2000 Year Old Man, a collection of ad libbed comedy routines made into a series of comedy records. With Buck Henry, he created the successful TV series Get Smart. In 1975, Brooks created When Things Were Rotten, a well-received Robin Hood parody that lasted only 13 episodes; nearly 20 years later, Brooks mounted another Robin Hood parody with Men in Tights.

More on [ Mel Brooks ]

AP - Celebrity News

Britney Spears' custody battle with K-Fed costly; legal bills could top $700,000
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0700
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Britney Spears' recently resolved custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline wasn't just messy, it was expensive. Court documents show legal bills submitted on behalf of two law firms who represented Spears total more than $466,000. That's on top of the $250,000 the 26-year-old pop singer has agreed to pay Federline's attorneys.
'CSI' gets its man: 'Matrix' film star Laurence Fishburne replaces exiting William Petersen
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:59:00 -0700
%meta(topic:01016000;ap_topic:general entertainment;subtopic:tv;%)
Vietnam frees British glam rocker Gary Glitter from prison; prepares to deport convicted child molester
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:51:00 -0700
%meta(topic:01011000;ap_topic:general entertainment;subtopic:music;%)

Subscribe to People RSS feed